The Versatility of Swimming

Energizes the young. Reinvigorates the elderly. Competitive sport. Leisurely pastime. Indoor activity. Outdoor adventure. Part of therapeutic rehabilitation. Core of intense training regimen.

Swimming engages a broad spectrum of people with varying backgrounds in pursuit of varying objectives. Swimming is a versatile and an age-old pastime. It’s been around for as long as there have been bodies of water and the versatility of the sport suggests that it will be an undisputed favorite for ages to come (unlike those sports like wrestling that are subject to disputes and debates). The sport is still being revitalized: swimming experienced a bit of a shake up when some people took it upon themselves to take underwater moves to a new level. Remember that phase in 2013 when everybody started dancing to the Harlem Shake? You can dance; er, move erratically, under water as the Ball State swim team proved during the Harlem Shake craze.

Swimmers and their tricks. They should stick with flips and backstrokes and leave the dance moves to the pros.

Why is dancing so popular? Well, that answer is going to differ from person to person. However, there are benefits to swimming regardless of whether the people engaging in the sport realize it or not.

The key to swimming might be body size. Of course there is more than one way to open a door, as burglars well know, but bells and whistles such as keys do make the whole process a lot smoother. This fun infographic details the body size of swimmers. The trend is: taller is better. We all know that Michael Phelps is a towering giant and have heard the legends about his dinner plate sized hands. Both he and Nathan Adrian certainly don’t disprove this theory.

A swimmers body tends to have a little more mass than, say, a runner’s body because the water supports their bodies. Is balance a concern for swimmers at all? It seems as if all they need is to have enough balance to know which direction they are going and emphasis is better placed on power and momentum.

A Norwegian study took a look at mini-swimmers: babies. The study compared babies that were exposed to swimming earlier to those that were not. They resolved that the babies who took swimming lessons had improved balance compared to those who did not. The goals of this study were more closely aligned with an interest in the development and maturation of children than creating children with superior athletic prowess but it does speak to the link between balance and swimming.

For older swimmers, the proper techniques of swimming are reliant on the premise that the swimmer has balance control. Without training, it is natural for a swimmer to swim through the water with the hips submerged at a depth lower than the shoulders and head. While this is the natural reaction when first placed in the water this habit creates drag and resistance for the swimmer. It is better if the swimmer raises the lower torso, hips and legs so that they are parallel with the shoulders and surface of the water. It is not natural and requires conscious focus and balancing skills for those who are new to the sport.

Training with the BOSU® Balance Trainer leads to a stronger core, increased trunk control, and improved balance. For the competitive or leisurely swimmer, from the high school athlete to the Olympian powerhouse, a taller build might be key to having natural talent, but that talent can only be unlocked with diligent training.

If you’re looking for training to compliment your swim workouts, try the BOSU® Balance Trainer. I would recommend that you use it as a dry land workout. The swim world was shaken up enough with underwater Harlem Shakes.

Harlem Shakes go underwater.

BOSU® Balance Trainer workouts stay above ground.

This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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Training for Football

Football season is upon us. Americans wait the whole year for the distinct smells that combines aromas of crisp fall, new pigskins, wet grass, booze, and hot chocolate. We’re so enthused that we follow football at every competitive level: from peewee to high school to pro.  One team is never enough. One football game never satisfies. We always come back begging for more.

The roar of the stadiums will soon be drowning out any intelligible thoughts as the two teams have spent months preparing come face to face. One team will emerge victorious. Player motivation, coaching decisions, fan support, talent, and not least of all training will determine who will rise as victor.

The time and diligence spent repeating drills, weightlifting, and bulking up pay off in the stadium. The imposing figure of a football player leads an outsider to believe that most time spent strength training and packing on the muscle; balance also is an integral, if less obvious, part of a football team’s training regimen. For obvious reasons, players need to be in tune with their bodies. Incidentally, balance training is shown to reduce chances of ankle sprains. While balance training is incorporated during rehabilitation for athletes who sprain an ankle, it is worthwhile for trainers to be proactive and incorporate training that will reduce chances of sprains occurring in the first place. To achieve balance training objectives trainers will design workouts using the BOSU® Balance Trainer. Don’t believe it? Check out some of the informational clips on the web (like this one) that people have made for football players.

Or if you want real, authentic proof straight from the pros, I’ll redirect to your attention to these shots that have been floating around cyberspace of the Steelers.

Questioning the power of balance? I’ve seen these people on the field. I have enough faith in the powerful combination of their balance, stability, and power to know that I wouldn’t want to be caught standing in front of them.

During football season I cheer from the sidelines or from the safety of my living room with firm confidence that balance training leads a team to have poise and stability that will make certain that their opponents on the field will be in for one wild ride.

This entry was contributed by Stephanie Berger, a Public Relations and Marketing intern at Hedstrom - Ball, Bounce and Sport. She studies at the University of South Carolina and is addicted to breakfast foods and sunshine.

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